tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41910841965842498232018-11-18T05:04:27.927-05:00Wisdom of the WestIs there any such thing? Let's investigate—for good or ill. A blog about fiction and literature, philosophy and theology, politics and law, science and culture, the environment and economics, and ethics and language, and any thing else that strikes our fancy. (Apologies to Bertrand Russell)Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.comBlogger876125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-86620675558841445662018-11-02T12:15:00.000-04:002018-11-02T12:15:21.300-04:00Somewhere in the Swamps of...South Carolina
Some pics from last week:
Gyrfalcon with its handler at Stone Mountain Highland Games. Largest falcon in the world. Amazing eyes!
Salt Marsh on Kiawah Island, SC. A unique ecosystem.
Bike path on Kiawah. Note the Live Oaks with Spanish Moss.
Live Oak, Saw Palmetto, Deer. What the biking is like on Kiawah.
Some sort of spongey thing on the beach at Kiawah in the rosy light Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-76359287859941806132018-10-22T13:14:00.001-04:002018-10-22T13:22:41.054-04:00Northwest Passage — Pt. 9: Whistler/Blackcomb, BC
The last big hike of the trip. We stayed overnight in Whistler, a major ski resort in British Columbia. In summer, the slopes and the area around them are turned into mountain biking trails and hiking trails. There was a major BMX championship going down in the town itself. The gondolas and chairlifts were packed with bicycles and their riders, who rode down the precipitous slopes on groomed Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-2061627391955264732018-10-12T12:29:00.000-04:002018-10-12T12:29:09.816-04:00Northwest Passage — Pt. 8: Jasper NP, Wells Gray PP
The drive from Banff to Jasper is regarded as one of the most beautiful drives in North America. Smoke and haze from surrounding forest fires obscured much of our enjoyment. Glaciated peaks were browned out, distant waterfalls barely visible.
Two days of easy hiking: glaciers, waterfalls, canyons, and lakes.
Bow Lake with distant glaciers and waterfall
Sign on Columbia Icefield that noJim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-22007113454180867612018-09-30T12:57:00.000-04:002018-09-30T12:57:09.536-04:00Northwest Passage — Pt. 7: Banff National Park: Lake Louise OMG
If you learn only one word from me and my crappy travel blog post, it should be 'Banff'. Banff National Park in the Alberta, Canada Rockies.
And the summertime highlight of that park is Lake Louise. (There is, apparently, great skiing there in the wintertime also.)
Lake Louise is pricey, especially the Fairmont Chateau which commands the spot. We camped some 55 kilometers away on the Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-45127392203254092832018-09-16T12:52:00.002-04:002018-09-16T12:52:30.248-04:00Northwest Passage — Pt. 6: Yoho National ParkYoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada, is one of several contiguous national and provincial parks along the BC/Alberta line in the Canadian Rockies. We tried to hit as many of them as we could in the limited time we had.
First stop: Yoho, a Cree name for awe and wonder. Ayup! It's lesser known than Banff and Jasper, but is a premier hiking destination. It's home to the second highest Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-78224784064989980862018-09-10T13:59:00.001-04:002018-09-10T13:59:43.103-04:00Northwest Passage — Pt 5: Okanagan Valley: Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
Here's something you might not know: Canada has one of the best wine-growing regions in North America. Mind. Blown. Before I headed up to British Columbia and Alberta several of my friends told me I had to sample the wines from Okanagan Valley. Sure, I thought. I live in Atlanta and have family in North Carolina, and the wines from here are nothing special. I'd also sampled the wines from Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-20319724321849509932018-09-04T12:55:00.000-04:002018-09-06T10:56:15.722-04:00Northwest Passage - Pt. 4: Vancouver: Multiple CulturesSpent two days in Vancouver, BC, staying in an AirBnB in the centrally located Kitsilano neighborhood. The first thing you note in the residential areas of BC are the hedges. Nearly every home has a neatly shorn hedge of some kind—short or high—separating it from the street.
Highlights of the stay included a morning at the Museum of Anthropology on the campus of University of British Columbia. Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-32427291218336318312018-08-30T13:11:00.001-04:002018-08-30T13:11:22.995-04:00Northwest Passage - Pt. 3: Victoria: Imperious FloraVictoria is the capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia. A small, lovely city, it inhabits a peninsula on the southeast corner of Vancouver Island (which is, I might add, across the Strait of Georgia from the city of Vancouver). It is walkable and bikable. It prides itself on being the most English city in North America, and, indeed, we made a point of having high tea at the Empress Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-9966849497380187792018-08-26T18:14:00.000-04:002018-08-26T18:20:43.858-04:00Northwest Passage - Pt. 2: Seattle = Funky TownSeattle is a weird and funky town. And by that I mean that pretty much anywhere you walk in Seattle you're probably going to pass through a funky cloud of that dank weed which is now legal in the state of Washington. There are pot stores all over town, and people argue over which is the best. You can buy gummies, brownies, hard candies, bars, cookies, and all manner of infused edibles—including Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-49727105872832885522018-08-25T13:04:00.000-04:002018-08-25T13:07:56.032-04:00Northwest Passage - Pt. 1: Stats and Modes of TransportPlanes, trains, boats, bicycles, automobiles, and boots: these were my means of exploring a tiny corner of our great northern neighbor Canada for two weeks in August, 2018.
Detail Map of Southern British Columbia and Alberta, Canada (click to enlarge and trace route below)
If you're planning a trip, here's our agenda:
• flew to Seattle, spent a weekend with daughter and her fiancé Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-62585008525502180992018-08-01T12:14:00.001-04:002018-08-01T12:25:35.522-04:00Conspiracy TheoryLet's say a bunch of dudes are sitting around one night drinking. They're bored. There's nothing to do in this town, they say. They want excitement.
"I know," one of the brighter lights, call him Danny, says, "Why don't we rob a casino vault?"*
"Hmmm. I don't know. Is it possible? What about all that security?" Several dudes pipe up.
"I have a plan," Danny says. "Who's in?"
Everyone agrees, Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-46102966618633454892018-06-13T11:57:00.001-04:002018-06-13T11:57:44.222-04:00What Is All This Racket? R.I.C.O.It's time to learn a new thing. I suspect this thing is going to loom large in the public arena in the near future. What is this thing, you ask? It's called RICO.
RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It is a federal law—meaning that it governs the whole country and not just one state—and can be found in the U.S. Code at 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-1968.
Essentially, what Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-86221395848275033622018-05-24T13:35:00.000-04:002018-05-24T13:35:05.226-04:00Constitutional Grounds for ImpeachmentAs specified in the U.S. Constitution, the grounds for impeachment are: Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors. These have specific definitions in the law and their meanings and applications have been constructed over the years by the courts.
Treason is statutorily defined in 18 U.S. Code § 2381 as follows: "Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against themJim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-4027283907029237612018-05-23T11:21:00.002-04:002018-05-23T11:21:56.211-04:00The Constitution of the United States: Impeachment Clauses
The Constitution, Article 1, Section 2:
The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
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The Constitution, Article I, Section 3:
The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-72237822071731768712018-05-22T10:25:00.006-04:002018-05-22T10:29:09.315-04:00Historical Note: Articles of Impeachment of Andrew JohnsonPROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE SITTING FOR
THE TRIAL OF ANDREW JOHNSON PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
On Articles of Impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives
[Note: The Senate voted on the eleven Articles submitted by the House of Representatives but failed to convict Johnson.]
On Monday, February the 24th, 1868, the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-15580218475399190712018-05-21T14:47:00.002-04:002018-05-21T14:47:59.367-04:00Historical Note: Articles of Impeachment of William J. Clinton
Resolution Impeaching William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Resolved, that William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:
Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-53007029552850905762018-05-20T12:24:00.001-04:002018-05-20T12:24:52.685-04:00Historical Note: Articles of Impeachment re: Richard M. Nixon
This is the full text of the Articles of Impeachment adopted by the House Judiciary Committee on July 27, 1974.
Note: The articles of impeachment were passed only by the Committee on the Judiciary. They were never voted on in the full House of Representatives. Nixon was not impeached.
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
RESOLVED, That Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States, is impeached for Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-86854445054897775722018-03-22T15:50:00.002-04:002018-03-23T10:58:02.868-04:00Utah-ing: Galactic Disappointment
Had a chance to make a quick jaunt out to Utah. Wisdoc (ATL) and Wisdaughter (LA) wanted to meet up for a ski weekend. Now, I can ski; it's just that I have a bit of trouble stopping, and I'm getting to the point in my life where I don't really like to fall much. So I decided to find other adventures. I had hoped—and planned—to spend one night in what's called a Dark Sky Park (no light pollutionJim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-66068237667057471292018-01-05T16:30:00.003-05:002018-01-05T16:30:46.151-05:00Desert Hiking, Coachella Valley
Now that the holidays are over, I have time (and energy) to post some pix from my other* hikes in/around the Coachella Valley.
Enjoy!! (As always, click pics to embiggen.)
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*Other, that is, than the two hikes up in Joshua Tree for which see previous post.
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Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve: Welcome Center
"Hey guys, wait up! I'm trying to take some pictures here!Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-72563949906108505932017-12-12T19:16:00.002-05:002017-12-12T19:16:46.835-05:00Joshua Tree National Park
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You want to hike with me. Here's some pics I took while hiking two separate days in Joshua Tree National Park last week. Subtle shades, shapes, scrambles, and squeezes. (As always, click pics to embiggen!)
Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-14607030942631347652017-11-19T16:36:00.000-05:002017-11-19T18:00:32.455-05:00My Scandinavian Adventure: Iceland—The Ring RoadJökulsárlón was the highlight among highlights of our trek around the island nation of Iceland. Once again, if you ever have a chance to visit, it's a doable day trip from the capital city of Reykjavik. We spent about five hours there, and I could've stayed much longer. It may be unique in all the world. It was something akin to a spiritual experience. The light that day seemed to emit from the Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-858672140356835172017-11-12T16:40:00.004-05:002017-11-12T16:40:57.486-05:00My Scandinavian Adventure: Iceland—The Ring RoadDay 9: Höfn to Vik— 271 km
There's nothing I can say—NOTHING !!—that can prepare you for Jökulsárlón, the glacial iceberg lagoon on the Southeast coast of Iceland. It's about halfway between Höfn to Vik (372 km from Reykjavik, totally doable as a day trip). It's the spot where the giant glacier comes almost down to the sea and calves icebergs which float through the lagoon and out to sea.
This Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-75740485533953906602017-11-09T11:51:00.000-05:002017-11-09T11:51:13.810-05:00My Scandinavian Adventure: Iceland—The Ring RoadDay 7: Lake Mývatn to Lake Lagarfljót 189 km
Day 8: Lake Lagarfljót to Höfn 178 km
Day 7 was a bit of a sad day. We had to say good-bye to Wisdomie and Wisdil. After a lovely meal of Italian food, we dropped them off at the regional airport at Egilsstaðir. They needed to fly back to Honolulu for the beginning of the semester. When they came to Iceland last year on their honeymoon, they arrived Jim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-7747945417106967822017-11-03T12:03:00.001-04:002017-11-03T12:03:27.734-04:00My Scandinavian Adventure: Iceland—The Ring RoadDays 5-6: Lake Mývatn
I mentioned the crusty cod fisherman we met at dinner. One key bit of info he gave us was that we should plan to stay at Lake Mývatn at least two nights. It's where Icelanders like to go camping when they're on holiday. And that was good enough for me.
Lake Mývatn is in the north central part of Iceland on the Ring Road. As promised, there was tons of cool stuff to do. OurJim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4191084196584249823.post-7035902920764335482017-10-21T13:16:00.002-04:002017-10-21T13:16:16.198-04:00My Scandinavian Adventure: Iceland—The Ring RoadDay 4: Dynjandi to Blonduos 493 km
Day 5: Blonduos to Lake Myvatn 239 km
Waking up at the majestic Dynjandi Falls at the head of a lovely fjord, I didn't know which way to turn my camp chair while I enjoyed my morning tea and skyr*: towards the massive striated basaltic peaks sloping down to the glassy inlet or the multiple dramatic falls. Honestly, I kept turning back and forth. Life's choicesJim H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com1